AKRON, Ohio – For the second straight day, the University of Toledo women's volleyball team dropped a five-setter to the Akron Zips (26-28, 25-20, 25-20, 21-25, 11-15). Saturday's match was the last one of the season for the Rockets, who end their 2020-21 season with a record of 6-14.

"It was a strange year and I am so proud of the way our student-athletes battled to do the right thing and play hard," head coach Jason Oliver said. "I am sorry to see the seniors end their season like this, but I know these trials will spur our team on to greatness."

Three Rockets reached double-digits in kills on Saturday, led by freshman Taylor Alt and her 18 terminations. Sophomore Olivia Vance added 16 kills and senior Emma Swope tallied 12. Sophomore Ryann Jaqua led Toledo with a career-high 38 digs, tied for third-most ever in a match in program history. Vance added a team-high six blocks, while senior Chloee Kleespies contributed five stuffs. Freshman Payton Morman collected 51 assists.

With the 2020-21 season in the books, a few Rockets have placed themselves among distinguished company in the Toledo volleyball record book.

• Ryann Jaqua averaged 4.77 digs per set this year, which ranks fifth all-time in program history.
• Taylor Alt ends her freshman season averaging 3.87 kills per set, which puts her eighth in school history for single-season kills per set.
• Chloee Kleespies ends her Toledo career with 2,887 career attack attempts, ninth-most ever in Toledo history.

As a team, the Rockets averaged 2.37 blocks per set, breaking a long-standing school record for most blocks per set in a single season. The previous mark was 2.31 blocks per set by the 1989 squad.

1^st Set (28-26, Akron)
With the score tied at 5-5, Akron scored eight of the next nine points to put Toledo in a 13-6 hole. The Zips led 21-13 and looked to be in a good position to take a 1-0 lead. The Rockets didn't roll over though, using a 9-1 run to surge ahead and tie the set at 22-22. Toledo scored seven straight points before a service error snapped that run, but a kill from Swope and a service ace from Vance were enough to tie the score. The first set took extra points to decide a winner, and Toledo found itself in a position to win when it held a 26-25 lead. The Zips scored three straight though to win 28-26 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

2^nd Set (25-20, Toledo)
Trailing 10-8, Toledo scored the next four points to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point lead. Akron used an 8-3 run to move ahead by three, 18-15. The Rockets scored the next four points to make it 19-18, and they would not trail for the rest of the second set. Akron tied the score at 19-19, but a kill from Kleespies gave UT the lead for good. Alt's fifth kill of the set provided the clinching point and tied the match at 1-1.

3^rd Set (25-20, Toledo)
Akron started the third set by scoring the first five points to take an early lead. The Zips continued to stay comfortably ahead of the Rockets, leading by as many as seven when a little 3-0 run made it 17-10. Toledo scored the next six points, but the Zips tallied the next two to maintain a lead. Trailing by three, 19-16, the Rockets scored four in a row to go ahead 20-19, a run that was capped by a kill from Vance. Akron was quick to tie the score at 20-20, but wouldn't be able to overtake Toledo for the rest of the third set. The Rockets would go on to win, 25-20, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

4^th Set (25-21, Akron)
The two teams traded points early, though the Rockets were eventually able to open up a four-point lead, 18-14. Akron answered with a 7-0 run to go up by three. Swope and Alt tallied back-to-back kills to put the Midnight Blue and Gold within one, 21-20, but the Zips scored four of the final five points to win 25-21 and force a fifth set.

5^th Set (15-11, Akron)
Akron scored the first four points of the fifth set to put Toledo in an early hole from which it would not recover. The Zips won the fifth set, 15-11, to hand the Rockets their second straight five-set defeat.